Have and Have Got for Beginners

Beginner's English: Have, Have got

The differences between 'have' and 'have got' can be confusing for beginners. Here is a guide the two forms. When you finish reviewing try the 'Have / Have got' Quiz to check your understanding.

Remember these important points:

· 'Have' and 'Have got' are used for possession.

Example: Jack has got a beautiful house. OR Jack has a beautiful house.

· Only 'have' is used when talking about actions.

Example: I usually have breakfast at 8 o'clock. NOT I usually have got breakfast at 8 o'clock.

· The question form for 'have' follows regular present simple:

Example: Do you have a fast car? NOT Have you a fast car?

· 'Have' and 'Have got' are only used in the present simple. Use 'have' for the past simple or future forms.

Example: She had a copy of that book.

· There is no contracted form for 'Have' in the positive form. The contracted form is used for 'have got'

Example: I have a red bicycle. OR I've got a red bicycle. NOT I've a red bicycle.

Here is a grammar chart showing the construction of the two forms:

Positive I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
Subject + have + got + objects
They have got a new car. Contracted: They've got a new car.

Positive He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + has + got + objects
He has got a new car. Contracted: He's got a new car.

Positive I, You, We, They HAVE
Subject + have + objects
They have a new car. There is no contracted form

Positive He, She, It HAVE
Subject + have + objects
She has a new car. There is no contracted form

Question I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
(?) + have + subject + got?
How many children have you got? There is no contracted form

Question He, She, It HAVE GOT
(?) + has + subject + got?
How many children has he got? There is no contracted form

Question I, You, We, They HAVE
(?) + do + subject + have?
How many children do you have? There is no contracted form

Question He, She, It HAVE
(?) + does + subject + have?
How many children does he have? There is no contracted form

Negative I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
Subject + have + not + got + objects
We have not got a dog. Contraction: We haven't got a dog.

Negative He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + has + not + got + objects
She has not got a dog. Contraction: She hasn't got a dog.

Negative I, You, We, They HAVE
Subject + do + not + have + objects
They do not have a dog. Contraction: They don't have a dog.

Negative He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + does + not + have + objects
She does not have a dog. Contraction: She doesn't have a dog.

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn't got any friends.
He doesn't have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She's got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)

Have and Have Got - Quiz

Complete the following sentences using either 'have' or 'have got'. In some cases both forms are possible. Click on the arrow to see the answer.

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· Peter a beautiful new house in the countryside.